Huge demand for Obama inaugural tickets

AGENCIESNov 17, 2008, 04.07am IST

WASHINGTON: Thousands upon thousands of people have requested tickets from members of Congress to attend President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration, forcing some lawmakers to tell constituents to stop calling.

And those are just requests for some of the 240,000 free tickets that will admit holders somewhere within four blocks of the Capitol when Obama raises his right hand and takes the oath of office on Jan. 20.

West of the Capitol complex, the unticketed masses will gather the length of the National Mall with next to no chance of seeing Obama sworn in with their own eyes. Jumbotron screens are expected to relay the images.

More than 1 million people are expected for the historic inauguration of the nation's first black president, quite possibly more than the record 1.2 million people who attended Lyndon B. Johnson's inauguration in 1965.

With each lawmaker only getting from 200 to 500 tickets for the ceremony, some members of Congress aren't even taking requests anymore because of the overwhelming demand.

``Special Alert!'' blares a message in red on the Web page of the District of Columbia's delegate to the House of Representatives, Eleanor Holmes Norton. ``Inauguration tickets not Available. Please do not call or email.''

Even in districts far from Washington, the demand is overwhelming.

``There are no guarantees that you will receive a ticket by submitting your request,'' warns Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, a Texas Democrat, on her Web page.

``Unfortunately, anyone calling with requests at this point would have no chance to be granted tickets,'' Rep. Charlie Dent, a Pennsylvania Republican, said Thursday.

Even within the space reserved for the ticketed, there is a hierarchy. About 1,600 of the 240,000 people permitted closest to the podium will be Washington power: the incoming and outgoing presidents, vice presidents, their families, Cabinet members, Supreme Court justices, federal judges and Medal of Honor winners, said Carole Florman, spokeswoman for the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies.

The demand for the rest of the tickets has created a nightmare for members of Congress, according to numerous interviews with lawmakers and their aides.

Democratic Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia, whose state is home to much of federal Washington's work force, received more than 26,000 requests for tickets by week's end. He asked the inaugural committee to consider giving his office more. Norton has suggested adding ceremonies to be held in the public stadiums around town.

Money may not buy the sought-after tickets despite the best efforts of entrepreneurs who have tried to sell or auction tickets they don't have and may never get.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat, is writing legislation to punish anyone who tries to sell the tickets. Ebay, Inc., announced Thursday it will not allow anyone to sell inaugural tickets on its site.

The inauguration tickets, which bear multiple security codes, remain locked away until the week before the festivities. Then they will be given to lawmakers to dole out in whatever way they choose, without having to disclose the recipients. The committee says in-person pickup will be required.